Well over one hundred delegates gathered at the Sheraton Suites by the Galleria in Houston, Texas on 5-6 November 2003 for the twelfth annual seminar, with a programme dedicated to "Marine Operations and Safety" in the deepwater arena.

This was the first time that IMCA had run a combined marine and safety seminar and covered a wide range of topics. The marine sessions covered 'DP Deepwater Operations in the Gulf of Mexico', 'Emergency Preparedness & Response' and 'DP System Safety & Reliability'. The safety sessions covered 'Vessel Security' 'Improving Safety Performance' and 'Compliance Issues in the Gulf of Mexico'. Themed workshops furthered these discussions. The event also incorporated a safety share fair at which leading contractors shared their ideas and experiences on initiatives to improve offshore safety.

The seminar began with presentations from IMCA President Steve Preston (Heerema Marine Contractors) and Kenny Lang of BP on the challenges and opportunities of improving safety offshore. The event then continued with presentations on six key themes:

Feedback from delegates shows the wide range of topics covered and wide-ranging discussions in the plenary and workshop sessions. IMCA's Marine Division benefited from this valuable feedback which provides IMCA with input for current and future initiatives. Action items identified were summarised as follows:

• Use the IMCA website and other media to carry the message
• Continue to spread internationally and communicate with members, oil companies and regulators
• Provide better co-ordination in fields such as acoustics
• Develop an FMEA management guide
• Consider the development of IMCA safety posters to complement the IMCA pocket safety cards
• Update IMCA guidelines, such as those on the training and experience of key DP personnel

Presentations

• Introduction to IMCA and the seminar - Steve Preston, Heerema Marine Contractors - IMCA President 2003-4
• DP Deepwater Operations in the Gulf of Mexico
  • Challenged in Deepwater Pipelay in the GoM - Philippe Menier, Technip
  • Floater-to-Floater Connection Utilising Dynamic Positioning - Denis Divers and Ryan Stewart, Prosafe Offshore
  • Results from DeepStar DP MODU Reliability Study - Graham Elliott, ChevronTexaco - DeepStar Project Champion
• Vessel Security
  • The US Coast Guard Perspective - Commander Han Kim, US Coast Guard
  • The Legal Perspective - Hal Watson, Locke Liddell & Sapp
  • Managing Vessel Opportunities: A Drilling Contractor's Perspective - Walter Cabucio, Transocean
• Emergency Preparedness & Response
  • Emergency Response Planning: A Critical Part of Bridge Operations - Mike Easton, Offshore Commissioning Solutions
  • Emergency Response: Management & Assessment - Mark Canada, Transocean
• Compliance & Enforcement Issues in the Gulf of Mexico
  • Enforcement and Compliance of Deepwater Activities GoM - Mike Conner, US Minerals Management Service (MMS)
  • Update on US Coast Guard Issues - Captain Dan Ryan, US Coast Guard
  • Environmental Management Issues from the Client Perspective - Stuart Wittenbach, Kerr-McGee
• Improving Safety Performance
  • Working in Partnership with Contractors to Systematically Improve Safety Performance - Tim Arthur and Jack Toellner, ExxonMobil
  • Safety Performance Indicators: Practical Examples - Wayne Seelbach, Cal Dive International
  • Behavioural-Based Safety - Sjaak Pappe, ITIM
• DP System Reliability & Safety
  • Dual Networks: Failure Mechanisms & Practical Solutions - Doug Phillips, Global Maritime
  • Case Study: Blackout of DP Class 3 Vessels - Paul Shotton, Subsea 7/Shotton Consultancy
  • IMCA Study - Jane Bugler, IMCA Technical Director
  • Review of Methods for Demonstrating Redundancy - John Spouge, Det Norske Veritas

Workshops

In addition, workshops were held over the two days, continuing and extending the themes presented above, as follows:

• Emergency preparedness and response
• General deepwater operations
• IMCA DP incident reports
• Vessel security
• Safety share fair: Sharing the message
• Behavioural-based safety
• DP system reliability and safety
• DP supply vessel operations
• Marine safety: What do clients expect from contractors

Safety Share Fair

In addition to the annual exhibition of products and services from IMCA supplier members, IMCA's contractor member had an exhibition of their own, displaying their in-house safety-related information, sharing initiatives and ideas that have worked for them and available to discuss them with delegates.

IMCA also had its own stand, displaying safety information, particularly relating to the safety flash system.

The share fair was held during the breaks in the main seminar programme, with time also available during day one's workshop sessions.